When planning home renovations, the first thing you need to consider is whether it will be more cost-effective to take the project on yourself or hire a professional. The answer to this will greatly depend on your level of skill when it comes to DIY and the complexity of the renovations. The amount of time you are able to dedicate to it yourself is another significant factor to consider. Taking the project on yourself will require research, planning and purchasing or hiring the necessary tools. Equally, hiring a professional will require a certain amount of research before you feel you have found the right contractor you can trust with your renovations. Let’s explore these factors in more detail:
Cost Savings
You need to dedicate some time to pricing up how much it will cost to buy raw materials and hire or buy any necessary tools you may not already have at home. This should then be weighed up against the cost of hiring a professional. You should easily be able to obtain a quote online which will give you a clear picture of how the costs of DIY vs hiring a contractor compare.
Access to Equipment
Whilst you may have some basic items at home, the equipment you will need will depend on the size and scale of your project. Bigger projects may require a contractor with access to things like commercial crane hire. Smaller projects may well require only some basic tools that you already have at home or can borrow from a friend or neighbor.
Time Commitment
Considering how much time you are able to dedicate to a project yourself is crucial. Can it be done in a couple of weekends or would you need to take time off work to complete it? If so, is that time off to complete this project going to impact what you are able to do for the rest of the year such as taking a family vacation? When considering this you also need to factor in how you are going to deal with the possibility of the project taking longer than expected.
Safety
Safety is a very important consideration. DIY can be the cause of many accidents and the bigger and more complex your project the higher this risk becomes due to the type of equipment you will be using. As well as considering your own safety, you also need to think about the safety of your home. Is taking on the project yourself worth the risk associated with accidentally damaging something major like water pipes or electrics? With safety in mind, it is always wise to check whether the particular works you will be carrying out require a permit.
The advantages of hiring a professional are clear when you take all these factors into account and go a long way toward explaining why most homeowners decide to go down this route. However, the satisfaction of doing it yourself coupled with the complete control you will have over your project should not be underestimated.
